she spent $144 million of her own money in a nasty battle with jerry brown. >> i am confident that the voters of california will take this episode for what it is. politics at its worst. >> reporter: what did you learn from that experience? >> that politics is a very tough business. here's what's different. at hp, i have a team. there are products, there's a whole company. in politics, it's just you. >> reporter: as a member of only the second class of women to graduate from princeton, whitman climbed the corporate ladder in some of america's best-known brands. married to neurosurgeon griffith harsh, they raised two sons. in 1997, she smashed through the glass ceiling, hired to run ebay. what advice do you give young women starting their careers today? >> i say follow your passion. we spend a lot of time at work. so we better love what we do. and, you know, the other thing i say to young women, pick your partner really well. >> reporter: the elite pad, this tablet for business, is unveiled today. but it doesn't go on sale until january. it is the first big test for whitman's new vision